Seismologist Naci Görür reveals the district with the most solid ground in Istanbul

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the August 17, 1999 Gölcük Earthquake, a conference titled "The Seismicity of Çekmeköy and Earthquake-Resilient Çekmeköy" was organized in cooperation with the Çekmeköy Municipality and the Çekmeköy City Council. At this event held at the Turgut Özal Cultural Center, one of Turkey's leading geologists and seismologists, Prof. Dr. Naci Görür, made important statements regarding the earthquake risk in Çekmeköy and the expected Istanbul earthquake.

Evaluating the potential effects of the major earthquake expected in Istanbul on Çekmeköy during the conference, Görür emphasized that Çekmeköy's ground structure is safer than other districts in Istanbul, noting that the region has a lower risk of being affected by an earthquake. Stating that Çekmeköy's ground structure is of a quality that will reduce structural damage during earthquakes, Görür said that this situation provides a significant advantage in terms of the district's earthquake safety.

PREPARATIONS BEFORE AN EARTHQUAKE MUST BE STRENGTHENED

Prof. Dr. Görür also drew attention to the importance of the preparations that both municipalities and the state must carry out before a possible Istanbul Earthquake. Stating that local governments and relevant institutions must strengthen their preparations before an earthquake, Görür provided information about the measures that should be taken to increase earthquake safety. Touching on issues such as infrastructure problems, transportation difficulties, and economic hardships, Görür stated that prior planning and preparation are essential to minimize the effects of such problems.

Prof. Dr. Naci Görür also answered questions from citizens during the program.

Speaking at the Earthquake-Resilient Çekmeköy conference organized by the Çekmeköy Municipality, Prof. Dr. Naci Görür said, “It is true that we experienced a great disaster in the February 6 earthquakes, but I do not agree that it was the disaster of the century. There have been larger earthquakes than this. There have been earthquakes of magnitude 9, even above magnitude 9. Our earthquake was at the 7.8 level. Therefore, we went through a major earthquake. Because we were unprepared for this earthquake, we had many human losses and experienced great destruction.”

“WE NEED TO PREPARE ISTANBUL FOR AN EARTHQUAKE WITH ITS GOVERNMENT, OPPOSITION, AND PUBLIC”

“Now Istanbul is expecting an earthquake; we announced this immediately after the 1999 earthquake. 25 years have passed, if you ask me as a scientist, is Istanbul ready for an earthquake? The answer is no, but hasn't any work been done in Istanbul? A lot has been done, but what has been done is insufficient compared to what needs to be done, therefore Istanbul is not ready for this earthquake," said Görür, and continued as follows:

"This earthquake in Istanbul will occur within the Marmara Sea; this earthquake will definitely happen. The reason is this: in 1912, an earthquake occurred in the west of Marmara, in Tekirdağ Şarköy. In 1999, there was the Kocaeli Değirmendere earthquake.

There has been no earthquake between the two for 160 km since 1766. The fault inside the sea, let's roughly call it the Marmara Fault, its normal earthquake production period, its recurrence, is 250 years. When we add 250 years to 1766, it makes 2016.

The time for the fault to produce an earthquake, to recur, has also expired. Also, this place is a seismic gap; there was an earthquake in the west in 1912. There was an earthquake in the east, the Kocaeli earthquake in 1999; the area between the two is a gap. It must break. In this case, Istanbul must be prepared for an earthquake. Preparing Istanbul for an earthquake cannot be done with fighting and noise.

The life safety of the citizen, their children, never allows for this. In order not to suffer heavy casualties, we need to move hand in hand with the government, the opposition, and the public. If we do this, we will prepare Istanbul for an earthquake. If we don't do this, rest assured, we will not be able to manage it."

News Source: İHA